Reflections for October 30, 2007

reflection from Our Daily Bread's
Devotion, "Bon Voyage"

It's amazing how sometimes we think we can go over something numerous of times but you hear it taught another way and it gives new insight on that subject. I remember a while back writing a post on not fearing death because my believe in my Heavenly Father and knowing that He sent his Son to die just for me (that alone makes me joyful) but today's devotion makes me love life even more. It's really strange for me now that I do not pay much attention to our space program the way I did as a child. No, I'm not cynical about the program because last week I heard the teacher describe how the earth looked, how fast they travel around the earth (I believe she said they make a full rotation around the world in 90 minutes, that is so cool) but just knowing that who created this entire universe just blows me away.

When I look up at the sky, the clouds, the space on a clear night and just see the stars up there it just blows me away. Now imagine being in space and just seeing the entire earth, just sitting there, rotating in nothingness...I can not see how people can say they is no God. God is awesome, He is great, He loved us so much that He gives us free will not to follow Him nor believe in Him. Our pastor gave us a illustration on how God can not violate His own law. "If a person wished to get a ladder and climb to the top of the church and jump he will not and can break his law of gravity." By our pastor saying this he was giving an example on how sometimes people say, "If God was such a loving God, how could he send someone to hell?" God didn't create robots, he created you and to with free will, He has the angels for that just obeying everything he says.

When traveling you are more at ease when you know where you are going. Sure you can stray off the path from time to time for a scenic route, to check out things you have never seen before but knowing your true destination is a very good feeling. This is how I truly feel knowing that when I gave my life to Jesus Christ death has no victory over me. No, I do not carry myself in a way that I'm looking to "be with the Lord" right now and besides by Jesus Christ dying for me to be able to stand in God's presence when I die Jesus Christ also died for me to live life to the fullest here on earth. To be able to spread His Good News, to let people know that when God tells us "not to do something" He is not trying to keep it away from us but as our pastor said this past Sunday, "God knows what will bring us the most harm", at he's right and when I sit back and really ponder it. Everything I thought was "okay" to do but deep down I knew I did not need that in my life in the end it was truly a waste of my time. I'm not regretting or holding on to "shoulda, woulda, coulda"...on the contrary, I understand now when you get older how you try and let the younger generation know that there are some things they do not have to know by experience but learn from others mistakes.

For me when I realized that Christ Jesus died for me it allows me to live more freely because knowing that I do not have worry about where I go when I die and knowing that my life can be so fulfilling will here on earth is for me two major blessings for me.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, &
Have a Great Evening

Sometimes Pain Is A Stepping Stone for Encouraging Others

Devotion that inspired
this reflection>>>>Giving Others A Push
from RBC Ministries

I loved to encourage people. I love to let people know that God loves them know matter what because no sin is to great for God to through up his hand and say, "umm, I'm sorry; what you just did I can't let you in the Family." God may chastise us from time to time but that is because He would rather chastise you than pour his wrath upon you. To encourage people is to let them know that I'm not perfect, I have made mistakes, I continue to make mistakes from time to time but whatever dream is in them I try to let people know they can do it. It's amazing how sometimes just a couple of words will lift the spirit of an individual.

I encourage because I did not get encouragement coming up as a child. At first I wondered why I was going through something like this. I stuttered and stumbled bad as child, I was not the best looking, I was coordinated for my height, I was a mess coming up. I was an only child and was a loner most of my life, I had a very "strange" taste in music so I really could not fit into anyone's cliques so to speak. But for some reason before I even came to know the Lord he was pushing me forward. I don't know why but I never turned to drinking or drugs to fit in because my way of thinking was, "things may be bad but it's not THAT bad." I'm not going to lie, there were many nights I cried myself to sleep because I felt I was not loved, I would never meet that special someone. I would get angry with God and cry out, "Why are you allowing me to go through this mess." I mean I wasn't a saint but I didn't deserve this cruelty from people. So many ways I could have turned but I know [He] was guiding my footsteps. Don't get me wrong, I made some dumb mistakes and at times I was walking around with a chip on my shoulder feeling that the "world owes me for what THEY[people] have put me through. But as time went on I realized that many times it was not me that had the problem but the close-minded of people were the problem.

I began to realize that God did not make me or anyone else to be a carbon copy. I learned that when you are yourself that is what draws people toward you and if they do not like your company 9 times out 10 it is they who are unhappy. What also helped me to be an encouragement toward others are the things I encountered coming up: it made me patient with others, it taught me the difference between empathy and sympathy, it has taught me to that sometimes people need time to heal and realize that you can be trusted. It has also taught me that by opening up to people that you will get hurt from time to time because people will be people but it's a great feeling to open up to the world because in the end it is more good than evil.

As time has went on I continue to learn which people are genuine and which people are just out to use you and learn to turn away from them and just pray for them because you can not let someone else hangups stop your happiness. It has taught me that sometimes I will have times of isolation from the world because you can not just go along with everyone and everything but what I have also learned is that good hearted people recognize good hearted people and before you know it you have a network of friends and associates that are there for you, even if they are across the US or on the other side of the world.

When you encourage someone they will soon be an encouragement to others. It's so cool and so good to help others "just because".

Be Blessed, Be Safe
and Have a Wonderful Weekend.

Devotions & Reflections for Tuesday...October 23, 2007

It's amazing how sometimes I can read God's word and I'm going to be honest, I can't see how that passage when reading my devotions applies to me for that day or my understanding of the reading I have to scratch my head and say, "huh?" But you keep reading God's word, keep obeying the teachings of Christ Jesus and early morning morning it hits me like a ton of bricks and I say, "ahh...okay, so that what that means."

This is the only book that sometimes you get the meaning of the passages and sometimes you do not but by asking God for wisdom, insight, directions He will bring understanding of His word your way.

Yesterday was really that time because all day my wife and I ran around because of issues that was going on in reference to my pharmacy license and one by one we say how God was stepping in when we could not do anything more about the situation. We both witnessed that when being persistant, standing on God's word, working as a team, not taking "no" for an answer most times(my wife is great with that...it irks me sometimes but she is who she and I love her for that), not losing your cool and staying joyful and thanking Christ Jesus in the good and bad results came our way.

So this morning, these two devotions from Our Daily Bread and In Touch were those two for me where by going through my valley I can say, "ahh...okay,I get it". This is also what makes our testimony stronger as well, and again let me stress, the results did come from us just sitting on our behinds and just praying because with God's word prayer should always be followed by the action He tells us to perform and many times we as Christians pray to Him and will not act. I learned a deeper meaning of the would "wait". It does not mean I sit around and "wait" for God to come through. I do what I need to do, still in motion while God puts everything in place so when about time I come to a certain place of action in a situation it has already been done.

We as Christians have to keep in mind we are in covenant with God, He's not our "Genie in a bottle". The work is still not over with my license but it will be soon and no matter how it's going on the surface as long as I am keeping to God's word, He will not forsake me, that is His promise and when I have truly given it over to Him 100% every time and just do what I need to do, He has never let me down.

My God is an awesome God.

Be Blessed, Be Safe &
Have a Wonderful Day.

My Rant for this Wednesday at 5:29 in the morning

"For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever."

~1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (New Living Translation)

As I read Our Daily Bread devotion and passage this morning these verses stuck out to me and it got me to thinking about the question every non believer ask, "If God loves everyone, how can he send someone to hell?" It's amazing how many people believers and non-believers think that there is no way God can send people to hell. God NEVER attended hell for you and I, that's for Satan and his cohorts. I don't think of being a Christian a burden, I think of being a big stress reliever but I think many in the body of Christ still do not truly believe this by our life styles. I know I can truly say whenever I have truly turned everything over to Christ he has never forsaken me. So why do go back to my old ways? It's something our pastor said last night, it's not the faith, it's the TRUST and that the truth plain and simple. Why do we waver?

One thing I believe is that we as Christians has gotten to the point where we think of God as our bellhop. We have the notion that "waiting on the Lord" means just that, to be still and do nothing. If you read all through Proverbs it tells Christians to TRUST in God but do not be lazy. For me I am beginning to learn that trusting in Christ means that I do what I need to do but at the same time I still have to be a provider for my wife and I while striving for what God has for my life.

Successful people in the Bible were always in motion because they realize that they were in covenant with God. They did not sit back and let God do all the work because even before the fall of Adam God put him to work in the garden. I am learning to strive what He wants me to do with time I have on this earth. Once I truly get the concept of obeying and trusting God in every area in my life things will become less stressful. It's a process but a process we as Christians have to partake of each and everyday.

The second thing I believe (and this really applies for myself) is to strive for what God has truly put in your spirit to do, something that you have a passion for day in and day out and not be afraid to work toward that vocation and this really ties into the first point I made. Something that brings you joy, something that makes you get the proper rest so you can begin that task refreshed, full of energy. A career that when Monday rolls around you can't wait to get started. I am learning that this brings honor and glory to Him and not only that the world can see it's cool to have your own business, your happy with it, your making a decent living and you're still acknowledging God in the process.

I think we as Christians dream big but are afraid to take that leap of faith so to speak. So we go into jobs we do not like, jobs that bring us stress and we complain about to our co-workers and by them seeing and hearing us complain they say to themselves, "if that is what is to be a Christian, I will take my chance with the world." I have been guilty of this and now I have stop complaining about my job and began doing something about it because we live in a "action" society. Our walk will be much more effective when they see us come in there, do our job but at the same time we are working toward what God truly has planned for our lives. I have come to the conclusion that if I'm going to work this hard for someones, I might as well work toward what I enjoy to do everyday but I have to make preparations toward that goal and not just sit back and wait for it to happen because it is so true that tomorrow is never promised to us.

This is my New Year goal(like I said in a previous post for me, October seems to be my New Year for some reason). If I have to go back out and get a job sweeping floors and if the pay is decent, as long as it helps me toward my degree, so be it because the last thing you want to do is work in a field that brings you stress, high blood pressure and just unhappiness Monday through Friday. That is not God purpose for our lives. I believe when the world sees more Christians strive for what God has put inside of them, truly trust in God, follow his principles, work toward what the desire God has put inside of them more people will come to God and they will see that Christians are more than just "bark".

Be Blessed, Be Safe and
Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

Monday's Devotion & Reflection

Costly Gift>>>>click here for devotional reading
from RBC Ministries

For the past four Saturday we have been partnering with another church for what is being called "Spiritual Fitness" and it has been really insightful for me and this past Saturday was no exception. We have a panel of pastors that come in speak on different topics... our walk with Christ Jesus, how to study God's word more effective, how to Co Pastor Cecelia Holloway spoke on "Church Burn Out" and how we burn out in church, how we can burn out our pastor, how to treat one another in the body of Christ. As her message came to a close and the panel of pastors were on stage one pastor(put his name here) said something so profound that gave me new insight and a big weight was lifted from shoulders, a weight really I should not have been carrying in the first place...trying to please the masses. I loved how Pastor Steve Wingfield put it,

"When being a pastor you have to focus on pleasing just one master, Christ Jesus, when you do that your load is light, your burdens will not weigh you down; but when you are trying to please the masses(the congregation) your burdens become heavy and that is not for the pastor to carry."

He was so on point with that statement. From pastors to Christians out burdens should be heavy all the time. We have at times have issues on our mind, we're human but to constantly be weighed down with troubles or someone else troubles is not what God called Christians to do. We sometimes get what we need to handle and what God needs to handle mixed up many times. When it comes to spreading His word, we are just to do that and mostly not quoting scriptures 24/7 but our walk. We can only tell people about the goodness of Christ and how turning your life over to him is a joy but in the end it's up to the individual to make that decision because in the end, God has giving us all free will but he also wants "no one to perish".

I have and continue to learn that when trying to write to please the massed I do become so bogged down with pressure, with trying to post everyday I have become "burnout" so to speak from time to time. But this past Saturday taught me to just please "one master" my Lord and Saviour. When you do that, you do what's pleasing in His eyes and your are true to yourself and when you live your life this way you find yourself having more joy out of life.

Giving Thanks To God and Not Judging Others

Devotion and Reflections for Tuesday

Storytime>>>>>click here for the devotion
from RBC Ministries

I have a story to share....

This past Sunday while in church I noticed a brother who was truly praising the Lord. You could tell this brother in his former life may have been pretty hard but there he was in the front row, dancing, praising, standing up whenever I pastor was hitting on key points that made the brother stood to give praise to God. Looking at the brother I could do nothing but smile and give thanks that Satan has lost another soldier from his army and God has gained on more for his side.

I can smile now but I could remember back when I would have said "why is he jumping up and down like that? All that is not necessary. What a hypocrite". But in fact I would have been the biggest hypocrite. But I'm older now, more mature now and I know where God has brought me and where he delivered me. I may not have drank, smoked weed or smoked period but I was rotten to the core. I slept around, I stole, I manipulated my way through life, I have had bullets whiz by my head and I have been shot but through it all I would hear time and time again how God loved me just because. At the time I didn't want to hear that, didn't want to think of that "holy" stuff but from time to time I thought about where I would end up when I died. I would wander about some of the men and women of the Bible, the places they lived but I still wanted to do my thing but all the while knew the life I was living was not for me.

I remember going to night clubs and not really feeling like I should be there. I never drank at the night clubs and I hated how my clothing would smell afterward but to honest I really didn't love myself because now that I look back how in the world could I find true love in a club. I have tried to play the field and got played more times than playing the playa. God had been with me, all the foolish things I put myself through. I know he had His hand on me, even when I did not want His hand on me because he had bigger plans for me than I had for myself and I'm glad he never let go of me.

Fast forward now and I have met so many wonderful people, in person, on the web and now I think, what if God would have "turned me over to my ways". The way I wanted to live my life. I would be back home in Madison, Illinois, probably having 3 or 4 children out of wedlock, staying home with my mother (I was an only child so you know sometimes how some men end up being "mama's boys). But hearing of God's mercy, his grace, how we have to step out on faith...these things I've done and He has caught me every time I have put my trust in him and at the same time being obedient to His word.

Now I'm not going to say I have done everything right because I would be a liar. I have been a knuckle head from time to time and it has cost me but in the end I didn't have to learn the hard way each and ever time. In the end I have learned to ask for help when I need it, admit when I am ignorant of some things. I have learned that just because I didn't learn something on the first try I am not stupid. I have learned to let my guard down around people, open my heart at times when there is a risk of being hurt, to praise God and not be ashamed of it. To share his wonderful news and realize that if someone does not want to hear The Good News, they are not rejecting me, they are rejecting God and that God loves them so much that he has giving them free will not to follow his will.

But I have also learned that with most loving parents, they do not give us want we want but give us what we need. How a parent holds you accountable for your actions, how sometimes when you turn your back on the truth how they sometimes have to let you go know matter how much it pains them because in the end we all will have to give an account of our actions whether we want to are not.

Giving my life over to God has giving me so much joy, and peace. I know I was not missing anything when I ran the streets, slept around, stole just because, did not care about other people feelings because what you plant you will reap in harvest and I became tired of reaping misery. Now when I look at that young man who smile from ear to ear, stands up and gives honor to God with no shame I can look at him and say, "I truly understand and I'm there with you brother all the way."

Be Blessed, Be Safe and
Have a Wonderful Tuesday everyone.